Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Why Complain About Uber When They Are Doing Their Best!

Picture by Uber.com

Written by JC

If you’ve never hear about the Uber on-demand car service
before, I’ll let you into a little secret. This company makes being able to get
from A to B as easy as possible. No more waiting for buses that don’t turn up
on time, heading down into less than savory subway stations or standing in the
rain trying to hail a taxi that speeds by leaving a trail of wet spray in its
path.

In recent years the Uber on-demand car service has gone high
tech like a lot of other companies, and it’s now even easier to get a ride
wherever you are, and whatever time of day it is.

How Uber Works

The first thing you need to do is pay a visit to their
website and sign-up for an account. This couldn’t be easier and once done, you
can download the app to your mobile device. Incidentally, if you think you need
to reach for your wallet at this stage, thing again! This app is available for
free from Google Play Store, the Apple App Store and BlackBerry App World.

When you’re ready to use the service, there are several
different types of taxi you can opt for and these include, black car, UberX,
SUV, LUX and of course your everyday taxi. However, do bear in mind it depends
on what city you’re in so you may not get all the options.

Once you’ve selected the type of car you want, simply enter
your location and the app will do the rest. Using GPS detection, Uber will find
the nearest driver to your location and you don’t have to worry about staring
at your phone because they will send you a text when your ride is on its way.

Pricing

Uber couldn’t be more transparent about the way they fix the
pricing. If you know your destination, you can easily get a quote for the cab
ride before you even book anything. You also don’t need to worry about having
cash with you. All the taxi drivers or companies who are signed up with Uber
pay what you might call a subscription so they can be listed.

When you’ve arrived at your chosen destination, no money
changes hands between you and the cab driver because your credit card will
automatically be charged by Uber and they’ll even send you a receipt.

Complaints

The last main “party night” we had in the US was New Years
Eve, and I’m sure many of you are still thinking back to the day after! It was
reported in Business Insider that many customers (new and old) decided to use
the Uber on-demand car service because New Years Eve is one night when it can
be near impossible to get a cab.

However, the complaints that followed on Twitter and various
other social networks the next day were rife! People complained about having to
pay anywhere from $190 to $400 for a taxi ride that was only a few miles. Right
now, you might be thinking these customers had every right to complain but
there is one thing everyone missed!

This is the fact that you could still get a quote for your
cab ride just like you do any other night of the year, and it seems that some
people were, shall we say, a little “too happy” so they forgot about this tiny
detail or didn’t care at the time.

In Uber’s Defense

When major holidays arrive in the US, Uber knows there will
be a shortage of cabs (anyone who didn’t use their service on New Year’s Eve
will tell you how hard it can be to get a ride last minute). What Uber do is
operate something called “surge pricing”.

What this means is you WILL pay more than you would normally
but it also means Uber can make sure there are enough cabs available for
everyone. This also means cabbies that are registered with Uber are likely to
work rather than join the party because they can earn more money. Add all this
together and what do you get? More taxis on the road!

Whilst Uber did take to Twitter and sent out a huge apology
to all its customers over the complaints levied on New Year’s Eve, I think this
was testament to the fact this company offers nothing more than a decent, safe
and for the most part fairly priced service.

Whilst Uber did take to Twitter and sent out a huge apology
to all its customers over the complaints levied on New Year’s Eve, I think this
was testament to the fact this company offers nothing more than a decent, safe
and for the most part fairly priced service.

If you still think surge pricing is an unfair method of
getting people to pay more at peak taxi times, then you might want to ponder
the fact that Uber will NOT let you book a car unless you agree to the price
you’ve been quoted and that you accept it’s due to the surge pricing system!

Overall

Personally, for me, Uber is a great idea. Think about it
this way. You’re a woman alone at night in a big city you don’t know. There
isn’t a cab in sight and you’re not happy about using the subway. All you need
to do is wait somewhere that’s very public while you book a cab using your
mobile device.

You’re collected by a trustworthy professional who delivers
you to your door without any trouble, and you don’t have to worry about
carrying cash. What could be better than that!

1 comment:

Uber is a great idea, what worries me is a heavy financial involvement from googleI strongly suspect, we might be witnessing birth of 800 pound gorilla in personal transportation industry, which in 10 years might be in control of most of the market, or at least that better part of it.Rest of taxi operators will be forced to cater to local drunks, crack heads, hookersor people who in general live on fringes of society.